Behind the Scenes at She Wolf, a Bakery That Supplies an Empire

When Austin Hall started baking bread in New York City, he did it alone. Literally, he was alone—working solo, overnight, at Andrew Tarlow‘s Italian spot Roman’s in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, to develop the restaurant’s bread program. Eventually Hall outgrew the space and its wood-fired oven, both of which were better suited for a restaurant kitchen rather than a full-fledged bakery. So, Tarlow and Hall decided to create She Wolf Bakery, with the aim being to supply the restaurateur’s mini-empire with everything from burger buns to baguettes. Hall set up shop in Long Island City, Queens, in a shared commissary kitchen, ditched the overnight hours, and hired a team to scale up his bread production. Watch the video above to see what inspires Hall, to learn how baking differs from cooking, and to get a look behind the scenes at She Wolf.